


Phone Calls

by PrinnPrick



Category: Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VIII, Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Angst, Brotherly Love, Cloud is 18 almost 19, Depression, Drama, Grief, Hijinks, Homosexuality, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Illness, Love, M/M, Male Homosexuality, Mentions of Sexual Content, Mentions of Violence, Mystery, Romance, Sora and Leon are brothers, Sora is 20, Squall is 18 almost 19, This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things, indication of sexual content, indications of abuse, mentioned death, mentions of abuse, sora is the older brother
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-15
Updated: 2020-01-15
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:55:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22265227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrinnPrick/pseuds/PrinnPrick
Summary: Sora is the very definition of a boomerang kid; he can't seem to survive very well on his own. His younger brother Squall/Leon, on the other hand, is just trying to deal with his senior year and move on with his life after the sudden death of his girlfriend. Once again, Sora is home from college (this time with a cold) and Squall is busy taking care of him and the house when he starts receiving mysterious phone calls from the dead.
Relationships: Cloud/Leon (Kingdom Hearts), Cloud/Squall, Leon (Kingdom Hearts)/Squall Leonhart/Cloud Strife, Riku/Sora (Kingdom Hearts), Squall Leonhart/Cloud Strife, sora & leon
Kudos: 7





	1. Sick Days Suck

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is another fic I'm bringing over from Fanfiction.net (I am far from done, actually) that I've decided to kind of re-write as I go. I only had four chapters done anyway.
> 
> So, the truth is when this was originally made I actually wanted this story to be equal between Sora and Squall with Squall dealing with a mystery drama and Sora involved with shenanigans. That means for every chapter that centers on Sora, you get one for Squall and vice-versa. Kind of give both sides of their lives at the same time. However, I liked the idea behind Squall's half of the story so much I decided to make that the main plot. I also admit I do not recall what shenanigans I had wanted Sora to get up to anyway, and I don't have any notes from when I first wrote this to go by (this is an old fic). That being said, I still plan to include some along the way somehow they just won't be a main focus.
> 
> [Also, the reason this is Mature is because there will be mentions of sexual content and violence, possibly followed by actual sexual content and violence.]

"I believe in a thing called love! _Just listen to the rhythm of my heart!_ " Sora's voice, usually such a lovely sound to hear, crackled as he sang. His nose whistled between gulps of air and hard sniffles, and though he certainly should not be dancing about like a maniac on the couch--he did. With a huge grin split across his pale face, which complimented the green bags under his eyes. 

Under normal circumstances, Sora was tanned and fresh-faced, with eyes blue and bright like the ocean. Today, he was in his childhood home (a nice two-story by the sea with its own little dock and a view of the neighboring island) half-delirious from the flu. He kick his legs, flailed his arms, and nearly slipped a dozen times on his blankets or the cushions while singing at the top of his lungs.

"There's a chance we could make it now! _We'll be rocking 'til the sun goes down!_ "

Sora stopped to drop to his knees over a blanket on the floor and cough roughly into one hand, just before he jumped onto the couch as if he had never stopped. 

" _I believe in a thing called looooove!_ "

There was loud music in his head coming from a live band as his back-up. Perhaps it was the medicines he had been forced to take, in particular a bottle of something green that lay empty on the floor, but the boy turned on his place over the couch and there was a sudden roar of people. Every little carpet fiber was now a person screaming for him at his own concert. They were loud and raucous, begging for more of that scratchy, hoarse voice.

"TOUCHING Y _OOOU_!," he stopped to sneeze, "TOUCHING M _EEE_!"

"Shut the hell up!"

" **God, you're touching _me_!**"

Another brunette with blue eyes stood at the entrance of what was a kitchen. He was taller than Sora, more than half his size in muscle, and tapped a ladle against one arm impatiently. The moment he walked into the living room he gawked at the mess Sora had made: pillows strewn across the floor, blankets precariously hanging across the coffee table and couch (and dangerously around Sora's feet), tissues thrown about, and a cup of tea tipped over (almost full) that was now nothing more than a wet spot on the carpet. Sora stopped in his tracks as he noticed the other male enter the room, but he had been surprised into stopping and a couch cushion had slipped from beneath him. Luckily, he merely fell backwards and landed on the half of the couch that was in place. Now having been forced down due to the fall, he apparently couldn't figure out how to get back up. Sora took a deep sniff to keep his nose from dribbling and grinned wide as the second brunette walked over with a concerned scowl to check on him.

"Sora… when did you take off your clothes--You know what? I don't care. Just put your pants back on."

The only thing Sora wore at the moment were a pair of boxers with ducks in hats on them.

"You shouldn't run around practically naked like you're five again until you have something you can actually show off."

"Shut up, _Squall_."

"It's Leon." He corrected as he went about straightening the couch beneath Sora and wrapping the brunette back up in a blanket.

"It's… SQUAWK! Squawk squawk _squawk_!"

"I hate when you're sick..."

*****

Leon was about to have a headache. He moved to stop the twitching in his brow by rubbing his forehead and temples in the hopes of fending off the pain that threatened to creep into his brain. "Why are you so weird? Most people would be exhausted when they get the flu. Why do you have to be so damn hyper?"

Sora chuckled like a little boy, like he always did when he was dizzy. He turned so he was laying upside-down almost on his head and gave Leon a kitty-like smile and a pair of droopy blue eyes.

"Sora..." Leon began, then just sighed in defeat. He looked at Sora with a flat frown. "Forget it. Just, stay down. Right there. On the couch. Please."

Sora shrugged and moved to lay down properly beneath the blanket (and endure another, much longer round of coughs). Leon, as cautious as a little boy avoiding the cute girl with cooties, walked across the sea of fluid and unclean until he could grab a blanket that was left on the floor, tossing that over the brunette along with the other, as the first was thin and the shorter brunette was shivering.

"I love you, Squall," Sora said sweetly as he was covered and at last seemed to be warming up. He wriggled about until he could get comfortable.

"It's not--" Leon just shut his eyes for a few seconds as he slowly stood back up, and then re-opened them as he exhaled another hard breath.

"I love you, too, Sora." He said with a small smile. "Need anything?"

Sora nodded as he freed his arms and lifted them up toward Leon. "Yes. Can I have a hug?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"But you love me!"

"No."

"I'll pay you?"

"No."

"How about a kiss on the cheek?"

"Hell no."

"A tiny squeeze on the shoulder?"

"No."

"An air hug?"

"What's an air hug?"

"Like when you blow a kiss, but you're doing it hug style."

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because no."

Sora pouted; his cheeks puffed up and his bottom lip stuck out as far as it would go. He huffed and covered himself up to his chin.

"Pout all you like," Leon replied as he planted his gloved hands (latex gloves versus the usual leather he preferred) onto his hips. "I'll get you some soup and fresh, hot tea instead. Okay?"

Sora nodded. "Okay... I love you, Squall."

"Yeah, yeah..." _You're older than me, you idiot. Why do I always have to be the one taking care of you? This should be mom and dad's job, not mine._

Leon made his way back to the kitchen safely, despite so many chances to trip. There was a bubbling sound from the stove coming from a steel pot settled over an old burner. Leon lowered the temperature once he arrived, and then grabbed for some pre-sliced ingredients. First, he grabbed a tray of thinned potatoes and dumped them in. Then carrots, sweet chilies, and so on until the soup was filled to the brim with seasoned broth and vegetables.

_Ugh, maybe I should get a social life… They only make me do this stuff because they know I never leave the house. I have been invited to a few parties..._

oo00oo00oo

It took a while, but after soup was made Leon had to help Sora swallow it all down by acting as his back support and spoon holder. He only succeeded half way. Sora did eat all the soup, but about an hour later part of it decided to revisit. After that minor fiasco, Leon was finally in the kitchen again. In his hand was a damp rag, which he used to wipe down the counter and the circular dining table nearby. The table wasn't dirty, but he figured he'd wipe it anyway just to know he did. He took his time cleaning up where he cooked, and then tossed the rag into a small hamper in the corner.

There was a small window over the sink in the kitchen with the curtains pulled aside. It was only an hour or so past noon, so the sun was still high in the sky and in perfect view. Bright, yellow rays drowned the room in light and reflected off the metal sink--right into Leon's eyes. He grunted and lifted a hand to shield his sight as he approached the sink again with the intention of closing the curtains, but stopped short. Behind him on the wall beside the upper cabinets was a white phone with an old rotary dial, which was still active. It began to ring, and it was so loud that no matter how many times Leon had heard the thing growing up he still jumped. He jerked around and stomped to the phone (already annoyed and on the verge of a migraine) before practically ripping the receiver off its handle, though he was careful not to slap it against his ear.

"Leonhart residence," he answered politely, despite his increasingly bad attitude. _I always forget about this phone… I know Dad has a catering company, but does he have to have a phone in here? Isn't that what cell phones are for? This thing is practically an antique..._

The long, curled cord scraped across the ground as he moved to check on Sora. His brother was fast asleep in the living room, which was a relief. He was peacefully snoozing on the floor (having fallen off... again) in a pile of pillows, blissfully unaware that the world even existed.

It almost made Leon smile. Almost. Then the snoring began and the cute moment was suddenly over.

"Hello?" Leon asked again when second after second flew by and there was no answer. "Hello…?"

Still, no one answered. Nothing but the distant scratching noise that older corded phones often had in the background to greet his ears. He hung up the phone with a click and settled it back onto the wall.

"Guess they changed their mind," Leon said dismissively to himself, once again distracted by the sun pouring through the window. He held a hand in front of his eyes once more to block the blinding light reflecting off the shimmering steel as he turned from the phone. He had both hands on the curtains when the phone began to ring, but luckily he hadn't jumped that time. The first thing Leon did was close the curtains, not even leaving a slither of light uncovered, before he walked back to the phone and answered it much less violently.

"Hello, Leonhart residence," Leon answered in that same polite tone. Again, there didn't seem to be anyone on the other end. "Hello? … I'm sorry for the inconvenience, Caller, but I cannot hear you. If you can hear me, please call Laguna Loire's second line at--"

"Squall..."

Leon's eyes popped wide open. The voice at the other end of the line was soft and feminine, and so quiet he had almost missed it while reciting the dead air script. It sounded sad, somewhat slurred, and needy.

"W… Wha--"

"Squall… I miss you," and then the call ended.

Leon didn't move, not even to take a breath. He stood there with the phone glued to his ear in a shaky grasp, his mouth agape. It was an agonizing few seconds that seemed to last forever before he was forced to breathe again (his lungs accepting the in take of air painfully) and his eyes slowly blinked back into his head. Leon lifted the old white phone and replaced it on the wall, slow and careful.

 _That voice…_ Leon took a deep, shattering breath and forced his mouth to close. His teeth tightened until his cheek bones felt numb. _There's no way… There's no fucking way. It was just a customer or a family relative--a friend. Someone else who knows me just being weird…_

Leon turned away from the phone and walked his way out of the kitchen. He shook his head out and took a moment to close his eyes, forcing his thoughts into a blank state. Sora was still snoring on the floor while hugging a couch cushion to his chest as if it were another body. The smaller brunette hugged and snuggled with that cushion, murmuring incomprehensibly. Leon stood just a foot from the kitchen archway, watching his brother sleep, sneeze, and snore.

 _There's no way. I could barely even hear who it was… My mind is playing tricks on me._ Leon huffed, turning away from his older brother to stare at a random speck on the wall. He glared at it as if he could make the speck explode. _It's part of… mourning, I guess. You hear things, you see things… You wish…_

"Ugh, this is stupid." Leon thunked head against the archway. "Really stupid. Stop being so... pathetic..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _I Believe In a Thing Called Love_ by **The Darkness** ~ Love'em!


	2. Responsibilities

_It all began for Sora many years ago, when he was first beginning school._

__

__

_As a child, Sora showed potential in many things, in particular with grades and athleticism. Though he was young, his teachers noted a higher-than-average intelligence in his understanding and held many high hopes for his future._

_He was out-going and funny, oddly clever, and hansom--his future at age five was bright and stretched farther than even the horizon._

_As he grew older, things only continued to grow in a positive light for Sora. At age ten, Sora was heralded for his many hundred or so blue ribbons. He was a champion at running, swimming, biking, jumping, singing, dancing, and especially in the sport that would become the mainstay of his college life; baseball. Of course Sora was so brilliant at all sports he could have excelled at any of them. Baseball was more of a calling, really._

_In the meantime, he was only ten and the "sports" being played were not meant to be the beginnings of the big league, just something for the children to do during their Physical Education class involving mainly local challenges. Despite that, Sora's parents could see their little shining star was turning into a brilliant comet. They proved just how proud they were by displaying the plastic trophies and blue ribbons all across the house._

"Who are you talking to, Sora?"

_By the time our hero, savior, and all around "Good Guy, Bad Boy" turned fifteen, he was not only a noted baseball player with the high school team… He was also an accomplished cross-country runner. Not to mention that during the swimming season, he often practiced as an extra player and even won contests with the swim team._

"… Bad boy?"

_Since he was ten his grades had been up and down, but he did manage to wrangle himself an Honors Diploma with a GPA of 3.1 by the end of high school. This meant that he would be going to nearly any college of his choosing, perhaps even in a foreign country._

"You wouldn't last five seconds in a foreign country."

_He had many friends, his new college teachers loved him, and he was only getting better at all the things he was already good at. Not to mention, as a requirement of his parents, he was also a well-known volunteer worker in the community, mainly at the local rest home. No one doubted his future._

"Sora..."

_No one, but his evil little brother Squall Leonhart._

"…"

_By the time our hero was out of high school, he had already received several grants and loans and scholarship opportunities. His parents, wanting the best for their favorite son, of course they did whatever they could to support their special angel._

_He was sent off to live in a private dorm in a school nearly on the other side of Destiny Islands, and as expected Sora settled in rather easily. Sora made many friends, and as said his college professors adored him. Everyone who met him did, especially his teammates. Unfortunately, his grades began to suddenly plummet and he was forced back home. However, his parents refused to give up on him. Still able to participate in what he loved, Sora entered his first triathlon and, of course, came out on top. The first time he entered he won, and has every year since for three years straight. Even better, despite his sometimes rocky grades, brave Sora was also able to continue his work with his college baseball team. Trophies began to pour in again as they won game after game._

"Sora."

_The time came again for the young hero to leave the nest, his parents full of hope... They had even hired a private tutor and bought him a much less expensive apartment, one to live in by himself. So once again he was equipped with all the things he would need to survive on his own through college... And after a year, again, he failed. Though his grades stayed high this time, he was evicted from his apartment due to forgetting payments._

"You're pathetic."

_He was given another apartment, which burned down due to a candle explosion. And then another, which somehow became infested with mice. He soon was forced to leave his new college and live back home where he would cause less ouchies._

__

__

"Either you shut it or I will shut it for you."

_His evil younger brother with the big mouth, lazy eye, and large hips completely unsympathetic..._

"..."

_Sora now lives once again with his parents--shamefully having to rely on their help and the comfort of the nest or perish. Oh, woe be onto our hero..._

"... You do know you're talking out loud, right?"

_To be continued. Maybe._

"Sora!"

"I'm sorry, what?" Sora blinked as he let his head hang from the couch; he looked at his brother upside down. In his hand he was holding a tape recorder, in which he had been speaking in a dramatically deep voice. "I can't help it if my life was so perfect… and suddenly very depressing."

"I'm glad you're doing better, but stop wallowing like a baby."

"I am not 'wallowing', dearest Leon. I am being… _poetic_."

"Do you know what 'being poetic' even means?"

Sora snorted instead of responding. Leon was standing at the entrance of the kitchen again to prepare for dinner as their parents hadn't returned yet.

"Wh-Why--hee hee! Why're you wearing mom's pink, fr-frilly apron?" Sora snickered softly as he carefully maneuvered himself to sit up right. His nose was still running, which he wiped away with a tissue. "You look even more muscular and manly than usual in that."

"Either shut up about your dumb life and my manliness or no crispies for dessert."

"No, I like crispies!"

"Then stop with the pity party. We get it: your life is so tragic, despite having had everything. Shut. Up."

"Big meanie..."

"And you're twenty and using the word 'meanie' like you're six," Leon huffed back as he walked backwards into the kitchen. He heard Sora coughing again, which prevented the smaller male from responding. Leon shook his head as he went to the overhead cabinets and grabbed a mug. "Calm down or you'll make your throat sore again. I'll make you some tea."

Leon continued his duties around the kitchen as he left a mug of water to heat up in the microwave. The very next second after closing the microwave door a small bell began to "ding!" near the oven. Leon turned the alarm off first, and then opened the oven to the strong smell of dessert, which engulfed the entire kitchen in moments and swam into the living room. Sora was heard squeaking, which made Leon roll his eyes. On the tray Leon pulled out were cinnamon apple slices, dried.

"They'll be ready in a few minutes, okay?" Leon called to Sora. "Don't try to come in here and eat them, Sora. They're too hot." _Not saying he'll listen, but oh well._

Luckily, the next sound Leon could hear was Sora snoring.

"Medicine must have kicked in," Leon said to himself casually with a roll of his eyes.

The doorbell suddenly rang. Sora continued to snore, despite the annoying buzz sound. Leon put the oven mitt he wore aside and untied the pink apron, before tossing it over the round dining table near by and heading to the door.

 _The sooner he gets better..._ Leon thought with a grunt as he passed Sora by, noting a small snot bubble. _I hate him when he's sick._

"Just a second!"

Leon made it to the door without incident, which was surprisingly hard due to the mess still in the living room. It was worse than the last time he had cleaned up, despite Sora getting better. The worst of his symptoms were gone, though the boy still left frustrated tears on the pillows. _Sora is a gross mess when sick, but… meh. I'm told I'm worse._

"One second," Leon called again, rather halfheartedly, as the doorbell rang once more. He ran one large hand through his brown locks and ruffled it up until his hair felt more comfortable and not quite so sticky from sweat he had gathered being in the hot kitchen.

Leon opened the door… Then nearly shut it without waiting for any greetings. However, he didn't slam the door in whoever's face. His once soft frown turned into a deep scowl. In the door way before Leon was a man about his own height, also muscular like the brunette. He had large, spiked blond hair that seemed to defy gravity without help from hairspray or gel. Their blue eyes locked, but only Leon appeared to be glaring. The blond stood at the door, neutrally staring back at Leon's fierce eyes.

"… Cloud," Leon greeted, not sounding nearly as angry as he was. "Need something?"

"I... wanted to talk to you." Cloud began in a soft voice as his brows furrowed together in worry. Yet besides his brows, nothing else moved on his stony face. "I hear someone… Are you busy?"

Sora was snoring like a chainsaw into his soggy cushion behind his brother, but from the cracked door it was hard to see. Leon even purposely blocked the door to obscure Sora even further, despite Cloud making no moves to peek inside. The blond seemed to catch the hint and took a single step back.

"My brother is sick. I'm busy until my parents get home," Leon admitted honestly as he crossed his buff arms. He quirked a brow and let his expression soften when it was clear Cloud wasn't there to antagonize him.

Cloud nodded and awkwardly flexed his fingers on both sides of his hips. He stared at Leon a moment longer, his icy blue eyes thoughtful and bottom lip caught between his teeth.

"… When will they… be home? If you don't mind telling me." The tone of his words was cautious, and his posture was meant to show absolutely no resistance or fight--a show of submission like that of a dog or a wolf. Leon's guard dropped even more, despite himself.

"I don't know if I should tell you, Cloud. Your brother likes to cause problems for us. Mainly me, but with Sora sick…"

Cloud bit his lip and turned his eyes away. He seemed like he was worried about something again.

"I'll just… I guess it can wait. If you can't… talk now."

"Cloud, what's wrong? Why do you seem so nervous?" Leon couldn't stop himself from asking as he leaned into the archway of the door. "And quiet. Last time we spoke, we spent two hours spewing out insults as loud as we could. In a restaurant, no less."

"Nothing, Leon, it's nothing. Just… I'll be back. Alone," and off Cloud went. He walked down the few steps to the sidewalk from the door and down to the edge of the street where a black car was parked. Without waiting for a response, Cloud hopped inside and immediately drove off.

The brunette blinked and quirked a brow of question as he watched him leave. The whole affair was odd, but Cloud had jumped from the little porch and to his car like hell might be nipping at his heels. He even sped off at far above the legal limit of the street.

 _… Isn't he in college now? Yeah, he made sure to tell me before he left. What's he doing home before the end of the term?_ Leon closed the door with a soft click, waving the visit off. _It doesn't matter, I guess. He'll be back._

Leon looked to his older brother asleep on the couch. Sora looked incredibly uncomfortable in the odd position he was in, with his head practically underneath him.

_He's going to break his neck that way. Or fracture his spine…_

Leon walked over to his brother. As carefully as he could, and trying to avoid slobber, Leon turned Sora's head until he was normal again. He even placed a small pillow right under Sora's neck to keep him from turning his head that way again.

"You idiot…" Leon said fondly as he patted Sora's fluffy hair. "Don't get hurt or you won't be so good at 'athleticism'."

Leon chuckled, flicking Sora's goopy nose for good measure. It made Sora scrunch his whole face up in his sleep, but it didn't wake him at all. Leon tucked Sora away in some bed sheets that still looked clean as he vowed silently to do the laundry and clean Sora's sick area up before bed that night. The older brunette wasn't even in boxers now.

_"It's too hot in here!" Sora had complained before as he scowled at the sweat pants Leon had brought down from Sora's room._

_"Just wear some underwear, at least."_

_"No, it's hot."_

_"Your penis is burning up?"_

_"Yes, all of me is."_

_"Fine, but it will take much longer to get better."_

_"I don't care. Too hot."_

"Ugh…" Leon sighed, feeling the annoyance building in his chest and turning into stress just thinking about it. "He's such a baby when he's sick."

It had been a long day, but it was almost over at last. A few more calls did come in from the kitchen phone, but luckily none of them had been the mystery woman. However, every time the phone rang something inside would cause his whole body to turn cold and make time suddenly slow down until it was just him and that phone in all the universe.

Just as Leon was about to do what little chores he had left so he could turn in early, and get some well-deserved sleep, that same white phone in the kitchen began to ring. He turned to glare at the infernal thing as if the phone had planned it. 

_Why they couldn't just jump an extra buck for cell phones when they're willing to buy thousands of dollars in homes for Sora..._ Leon grumbled in his head. He decided to ignore the phone this time. _Dad won't get mad if I ignore one phone call. I'm not his secretary._

All that was left was his half pound of turkey, still steaming from when he had baked it in a sweet butter cream sauce, from dinner. He decided to say 'Fuck it' and sat down for one more round to calm the anxiety in his belly (and the turkey _had_ turned out particularly good). The taste was more than enough to help him ignore the wretched phone, which continued to ring until it was automatically cut off by the answering machine--another old relic of technology his parents hadn't updated from.

As Leon continued to enjoy what was left of his meal, becoming delightfully full for the second time that night, an unwelcome voice came on the answering machine. Fork stuck in his mouth, Leon went wide-eyed at the sound.

"Squall… Oh, Squall… Please..."

 _No. It's not her. It can't be..._ Leon pulled the fork out, swallowed what was in his mouth, and moved to stand up. He walked over to the answering machine and stared down at the old thing in dismay while trying to firmly tell himself not to let some prank get to him. An old sense of warmth began to build in his gut as precious memories suddenly flashed right before his eyes, despite how he tried to fight them off. Something began to prick at his eyes, which brought him back to reality. _She's dead. This is just a customer… or someone playing a prank._

Somewhere inside of his chest, which he tried to grasp through his clothes, there was a sudden rip. A gash ten times larger than the one on his face that throbbed painfully. His throat felt as if it were closing and he found it hard to breathe.

_If this is a prank, I'll kill someone._

"Squall," the voice interrupted his thoughts again, "I promise I won't tell anyone about the butterflies."

It was hard not to note the sound of tears in that voice. It sounded so desperate--so far away. However, the only thing really registering with Leon was what the voice had said.

_The butterflies...?_

"The next time we walk into the park... I'll swat them away for you. No need to be afr--" And the caller hung up.

Leon gently touched the scar on his face. He ran his fingertips down the length of the brown mark between his eyes, while still staring down at the answering machine. And now, the message was recorded.

"The butterflies..." _Not even my family knows about that. But... she can't be..._

Leon immediately (frantically) erased the message. He didn't care if he just erased evidence of something he could have used later--he just didn't want that voice around.

"This is stupid…" Leon repeated to himself over and over again as he moved to stand at the entrance of the living room. His brother was too sick, too full of medicine, and too asleep to be there for him, but at least he was technically here… He wasn't alone. _I guess having him home is kind of nice sometimes._

oo00oo00oo

"But then I saw his face… Now I'm a believer." Sora sung quietly to himself. Or rather, he murmured it. He was sprawled out onto the ground still nude, but at least covered across the waist. In his hands was a small yellow ball, which he tossed into the air and caught over and over from his position on his back.

"Aren't the lyrics 'her face'?" Leon asked with little interest as he sat on the couch not far from his brother. He had his cheek in his fist and his elbow on the arm of the couch, stretching the skin of his face over the knuckles when he yawned seconds later. He observed Sora a moment and noted that there was still some green under his eyes and his voice was still scratchy.

"Not when you're gay!" Sora replied enthusiastically. He grinned, revealing his usually perfect teeth were now a bit off-white from drinking tea and not having the strength to brush.

"True."

"... Hey, Leon?"

"What?"

Sore hesitated a moment, and then said, "thanks for taking care of me. I think I'm almost better. You can go out if you'd like! I don't even need that much medicine anymore."

Sora threw the ball in the air one more time, but didn't bother to catch it. The yellow ball rolled off to the side somewhere to be forgotten. In the meantime, Sora's bright grin turned apologetic as he stared on at his brother.

Leon looked to the window lazily. He stood up from the couch, walked toward the front door, and carefully opened one curtain to see outside. The day wasn't as bright and beautiful as it had been yesterday, and was now very cloudy and a little gray. It didn't quite look like storm weather, though.

 _Well, I have been dying to go out, and Sora does seem a lot better…_ Leon looked to his older brother, who was messing with the remote. Sora turned the TV on and began to surf through the channels as he sniffed deeply until his nose sounded like it was gurgling to keep from letting it dribble more fluids. Leon walked back to Sora, plopping down next to him on the floor blankets and sleeping bag.

"I'd rather watch TV. There's a fifty-percent chance of social interaction if I leave, and that could be deadly for me."

"Pfft." Sora finally settled on a channel with twenty-four-seven cartoons. It was playing, of course, some cartoon that made Sora smile. "Just what the doctor ordered! Imitable, extreme, graphic violence of a 2-D nature!"

"Oh yes… Great." Leon cringed. _Of course he'd choose something childish. Why couldn't it be a crime show or something with more realistic violence?_

Sora chuckled and adjusted himself until he was sitting up comfortably beside Leon. He poked a single finger into his shoulder.

"We both know you can't stand cartoons. You don't have to spend time with me, you already did that. Go out, see a movie… Take my card, go shopping."

"I hate all those things."

"Then go on a walk!"

"I hate walks."

"Make a new friend!"

"I hate people."

"Gah, _Leon!_ "

"Fine." Leon rolled his eyes and moved to stand up from the floor, though he looked none-too-happy about being forced to move. He dusted and adjusted his clothes around, crossed his large arms, and glared down at Sora. "You want me out that damn badly, fine. I'll leave."

"About damn time," Sora laughed and pat Leon's booted foot, grinning up at him again with all his once perfect teeth. "Though, remember; in the off chance you might get laid, use a condom."

"If you weren't sick, I'd kick you." Leon growled as he walked to grab his leather jacket from the coat rack near the front door. He stopped short of turning the knob, and looked back to Sora who stared at him expectedly. "… What if--"

"It will not kill you to get some sun!"

"You obviously haven't read the new statistics about sun radiation and skin cancer, then," but Leon was out the next the next second, hands in his jacket pockets and a look of indifference on his hansom face. _I don't think I could have withstood being home much longer anyway…_

The sun wasn't even shining since the clouds were too thick. The world outside was somewhat dim and a little chilly. He sighed to himself as he zipped his large jacket up and took his first few steps out of the safety of his house.

 _But with Sora being coherent again, it would have been nice to talk._ Leon shook his head. _Talk… Talk about what? I can't tell him what happened, or I'd have to explain everything… I doubt he even knows I_ had _a girlfriend._

Before he had even noticed it, Leon was already half-way down to the family's tiny dock. It wouldn't be a long walk to get there, since it was practically attached to the house. Down he went past the small bit of beach where the hermit crabs were sun bathing, and across the wet, wooden planks covered in barnacles…

With his back turned to the house, Leon sat at the end of the dock and stared out into the ocean.

*****

Sora frowned as soon as Leon was out of sight. It was hard to concentrate on cartoons, but not because he didn't find them amusing… His eyes were still not quite well. They shook in his head as if they were loose and made his vision blurry. After a few minutes of struggling just to decipher the pixels on the television, despite it being such a large screen, Sora decided to shut it off again and lay back down over his contaminated sheets and pillows.

The whole house was warm--still too warm to dress. Sora's whole body had a light sheen of sweat, but that could have easily been the fever versus the hot house. He adjusted his sheets around until he was on his back with nothing on top, just exposing himself to the ceiling. The windows were closed, the door was closed, and no one was home.

"I still can't believe mom and dad are going to be gone for a whole week… They were only supposed to be gone a night," Sora said to himself as he wiped his brow with the back of his wrist. His breathing had become somewhat labored and his mouth felt dry. Yet, he wasn't thirsty enough to move and felt too weak to crawl to the bathroom to wash off. "I hope Grandma's okay."

Sora continued to stare up at the white, popcorn textured ceiling. At first he was playing a friendly game of "find the dot", where he would randomly look for black spots and decide what shape they reminded him of. This only went on for a few minutes, despite feeling like a few hours, before the ceiling and all its dots began to spin. The entire room was turning, beginning at the center of the ceiling and twisting slowly downward until everything was a blur of colors and motions and Sora was forced to close his eyes. He turned in his spot on the floor, hugging a pillow close to his chest and between his legs.

"Ugh… Maybe I shouldn't have kicked Leon out," Sora huffed to himself as his bottom lip poked out. "Sleep. That's what I need. Just some sleep… and I'll be all better…"

He was already drifting away as he mumbled to himself, mostly comfortable and naked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now that this has been transferred (it was four chapters, but they were short so I shoved them into two) this fic will go on hiatus until further notice. I have too many other multi-chaptered things to worry about first!

**Author's Note:**

> Updates will be spotty.


End file.
